An Introduction to Mesothelioma
The prospect of struggling with mesothelioma is a scary prospect for the nearly 3,000 people who are diagnosed with the disease every year in the United States.
While it remains a rare form of cancer, when you are diagnosed, there is not much to feel positive about.
That’s because there is not currently a cure for the disease (although treatments are available). It can be aggressive and deadly according to the Mayo Clinic, with life expectancy for mesothelioma patients at just about 12 to 22 months.
Symptoms of Mesothelioma
Finding mesothelioma early, when it’s small and before it has spread, often means the patient has more treatment options. That’s why, if you are worried about your chance of developing the diseases you need to be on the lookout for common symptoms.
Here are symptoms that you should be on the lookout for:
If you have pleural mesothelioma, which affects the tissue that surrounds the lungs, symptoms may include:
- Chest pain
- Painful coughing
- Shortness of breath
- Unusual lumps of tissue under the skin on your chest
- Unexplained weight loss
If you have peritoneal mesothelioma, which occurs in tissue in the abdomen, symptoms may include:
- Abdominal pain
- Abdominal swelling
- Nausea
- Unexplained weight loss
Causes of Mesothelioma
While mesothelioma is rare, there is a common link between patients that do suffer from the disease: It often occurs in patients that have been exposed to asbestos.
Men are the most likely to develop mesothelioma because they often worked the jobs that exposed workers to asbestos. It can often take years for cancer to develop in patients.
Some of the jobs that potentially exposed workers include:
First responders who responded during 9/11: These patients were likely exposed to the asbestos that was used in the buildings in the cement and fireproofing material
- Aircraft mechanics
- Boilermakers
- Bricklayers
- Cement finishers
- Painters
- Millwrights
- Papermill workers
- Pipe coverers
- Pipefitters and plumbers
- Navy yard workers
- Sheet metal workers
If you are dealing with mesothelioma because of asbestos exposure, help is available.
In 2019, more than 4,000 lawsuits were filed by individuals with mesothelioma against the negligent companies that left them exposed, according to a report by consultant KCIC. Illinois, New York, Missouri, Maryland, and Pennsylvania were just some of the states that topped the number of lawsuit filings.
According to the same report, more than 65% of those who filed a mesothelioma lawsuit were ruled in favor of the plaintiff, with settlements of more than $1 million.
